Rail anchor and method of making same



H. G. WARE.

RAIL ANCHOR AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME. APPLICATION FILED JULY 5,1921.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- H. G. WARR.

RAIL ANCHOR AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 5,192I.

Patented Jan. 24,1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

: 1 9 i7 32/ igIdiymm army's UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD G. WARE, OF PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE P &; M COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

RAIL ANCHOR AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

Original application filed October 6, 1920, Serial No. 414,986. Divided and this application filed July 5,

T0 (all 10710722275 may concern. Be it known that I, HAnoLD Gr. VVARR, citizen of the United States, residing at Park Ridge, in the county of Cook and State of .Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Anchors and Methods of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail anchors, and more particularly to anchors having two or more elements adapted to have an interlocking connection with each other, and has for its principal object the provision of a new and improved rail anchor construction and method of manufacturing the same, whereby one or more of the interlocking members of the anchor may be accurately formed at a minimum cost by a rolling and shearing process.

I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention herein as consisting of a shoe member adapted to fit over one edge of a rail base, and a spring member adapted to engage with the other edge of said rail base and have an interlocking connection with the shoe member. In this form of devise, the spring, member, during its application to its operative position, is subjected to a tortional strain and positioned back of an abutment on said shoe so that the anchor, as a whole, will maintain its initial grip on the rail by the spring action produced by the tortional strain to which sald spring member 18 subjected. The springmeinber in its normal operative position extends diagonally across the rail base, sothat it will take a shackle hold on opposite edges of the rail base when subjected to a creeping pressure of the rail. In an anchor of this type, in which it will be seen that a web portion of the shoe intervenes between one of the vertical edges of the rail and a yoke member, it is necessary, in order to avoid a misfit of the device on the rail, that the web portion of the shoe have an accurate thickness with relation to the length between the jaws of the spring yoke. If the intervening'web of the shoe be too thin, as often results from the shrinking of the device when the same is made of cast metal, the spring yoke will be too loose on the rail base, and if the web he of greater thickness than intended, the application of the spring yoke is very difiicult. It is also important, in devices of this character that Serial No. 482,483.

the lug for retaining the spring yoke in its tortioned, lnterlocked position, be properly POSllllOllGCr so as to avoid over straining the yoke member when the same is applied to .shoe which intervenes between the vertical edge of the rail and the other cooperating element of the anchor. By forming the rail anchor of rolled metal in the manner above described, advantage may be taken of the condition that perfectly formed rails of different width of certain standard types, for example, the type of rail adopted by the American Society of Civil Engineers, may differ as to the width of the rail base, without any change in the thickness of the base flange, or any substantial variation in the angularity of the upper surface thereof. This situation makes it possible to form, within practical limits, shoe members for diilerent sized rails with the same set of rolls by simply changing the position of the rolls so as to vary the thickness of the web of the shoe which intervenes between the vertical edge of the rail base and the other cooperating member of the anchor, for example, the enlargement of the spring yoke, when the anchor manufactured is of the type shown in the drawings. In this connection I contemplate forming the shoe member by a rolling process, so as to form it in the desired cross-sectional configuration, and then cut away portions thereof by separate shearing operations. With this method of manufacture, the recess for receiving the upper edge of the enlargement of the spring yoke may be accurately positioned at any point desired, thereby making it possible to form the anchor so that the spring yoke member may be applied to rails having base flanges of maximum thickness without danger of the yoke being twisted too far in eflecting an interlocking engagement with the. shoe member.

The invention has as still further objects, the novel arrangements, constructions and combinations of parts, hereinafter described and claimed, for carrying out the above stated objects, and such other objects as will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a rail anchor device, constructed in accordance with my invention, applied in its operative position on 'the base flange of a rail;

metal bar from which blanks are cut to form shoe members of the form shown in F 4:

Fig. 6'is a view in elevation of the rolled :metal bar shown in Fig. 5, showing the shearing lines on which the bar is cut to form the blanks above referred to;

Fig. 7 is an edge view of the rolled metal bar shown in Fig. 6; and

" Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of one of the blanks sheared from the bar, this figure indicating the configuration of the blank before the same is bent to provide a tie abutment.

' Like characters of reference ,designate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings I have shown my improved rail anchor as consisting of a shoe member 10 and a spring yoke member 11. which together embrace the base flange of the rail 12, and have an interlocking engagement with each other. The shoe member is formed with a recess 13 providing a jaw portion which fits over one edge of the base flange of the rail, the upper and lower lips 14, 15, 0f the jaw portion being connected by a web 16, the inner surface of which is adapted to bear against the vertical edge of the rail base when the shoe member is in its operative position. The jaw portion of the shoe member is preferably made so'that the surfaces defining the recess 13 indicated at 18, to provide a tie-abutting portion which bears against one of the vertical faces of the tie 19. The yoke member 11 is preferably made of spring metal, and

is formed atone end with a hook portion 20 prov ding a jaw having an angularly disposed lip 21 which fits over the opposite edge of the rail and is provided at the other end with an upstanding enlargement 22 which fits over the outer surface of the web 16 of the shoe and has an interlocking engagement therewith, which engagement is maintained by the spring action of the yoke. member, as will be hereinafter described.

The upper lip 14 preferably extends beyond the web 16 and forms a rib designated 14" the latter of which is cut away as indicated at 23, to provide a recess for receiving the enlarged portion 22 of the yoke. The lower lip 15 of the shoe is cut away as indicated at 24, to provide a recess into which the upper edge of the yoke extends when it is in its operative position, as shown in Fig. 3. This recess is preferably wide enough to permit the yoke to assume different diagonal positions across the rail base without danger of becoming cramped'in the recess. The forward edge of the depending flange 17 is provided with shoulders 25 and 26, adaptedto support the lower edge of the spring yoke. The portion of the yoke which extends under the rail is preferably given a slight set or twist, so that the enlargement 22 will normally stand at an angle to the hook portion 20 when the yoke is free of the rail, the angularity of the enlargement being in a'direction opposite to the angularity ofthe lip 21 of said hook portion.

In applying the rail anchor to its operative position, the shoe member 10 is fitted over one of the edges ofthe base flange of the rail in a position so that the tie abutment 18 will bear against one of the vertical faces of the ti 19. The diagonal lip 21 of the hook member 11 is then hooked over the opposite edge of the base flange. and the enlargement 22 raised to the position shown in Fig. 3. In raising this end of the spring yoke member, it is necessary to subject'it. to a tortional strain by bending the enlargement 22 toward-the tie 19, thereby permitting the upper edge of said enlargement to project into the recess 23, so as to bear against the rear edge of the rib 14 The recess 23 is preferably formed by cutting away the rib 14 at' a point so that the rear edge thereof engaged by the spring yoke member will extend to a point back of the forward edge of the recess 24, so that the tortional strain on the yoke may be maintained without the yoke member engaging the said forward edge of the recess 24.

IVith the construction shown herein, the recess 23 is preferably formed by a shearing operation independently of the shearing op eration for forming the recess 24, and therefore may be positioned accurately on the shoe to compensate for any variation in the thickness of the base flanges of the rails to which the device is intended to be applied.

By constructing the shoe member in this manner, it is possible to use yoke members of the same size on rails having base flanges of different thickness, and at the same time maintain a substantial uniform tension of the yoke members. After the interlocking engagement of the spring yoke and shoe member has been effected, the hook end of the spring yoke may be driven toward the tie, so that the yoke will stand in the diagonal position across the rail base, in which position it will effect a shackle hold of the anchor on opposite edges of the rail base-when it is subjected to a creeping pressure of the rail in a direction towards the tie.

The torsional strain to which the yoke member is subjected in its application to the rail tends to force the outer edge of the lip 21 downwardly, so as to bear against the upper surface of the rail base with spring pressure. The tendency which the spring yoke has to return to its normal position from which it was sprung causes the enlargement 22 of the yoke to bear with spring pressure against the rear edge of the rib 14 and thereby maintain the initial grip of the device on the rail, so as toprevent it from being loosened during a retrograde movement, or other disturbing influences, for example, as the vibration of the rail caused by the passing trafiic.

The shoe members are separately cut from a metal bar which is rolled while hot to the shape shown in Fig. 5. The bar is formed on one side with the recess 13 which corresponds to the configuration of the edge of the rail over which the shoe 10 is'intended to fit. The flange 14 extends beyond the web 16 so as to form a rib 14 on the outer surface of the bar which extends the full length of the bar and is adapted to be cut away, as will be hereinafter described, to form the recess 23 of the shoe. The blanks from which the shoe members are formed are of a nesting configuration, and are cut off the bar successively on the lines 1) shown in Fig. 6. The dies for severing the blanks are of the same outline as the blanks.

When shearing the blanks, the bar is preferably positioned between the shearing dies (not shown), so that the first shearing operation will remove the shaded portion 0 (Fig. 6) thereby forming the shoulders 25, 26, and the recess 24 of the blank designated D. The bar is then positioned between the shearing dies, so that the next shearing operation cuts the bar along the line b, thereby severing one complete blank (D), and forming the outline of one end of the blank E. This operation is repeated to sever the blanks E and F. After the blanks are severed, the ends 9 are bent inwardly along the dotted lines It to form the tie abutting foot 18 of the shoe 10. After the blanks have been bent, or, if desired, before such bending operation, the continuous rib 14 is cut away on the dotted lines j shown in Figs. 5 and 8 to form the recess 23 for receiving the upper end of the enlargement 22 of the yoke member 11, and provide an abutment for the same. The recess is preferably positioned so that the enlargement 22 of the yoke, when in its interlocking position, will be held out of engagement with the edge of the recess 24.

By forming the shoe members 10 from a rolled meta-l bar of the configuration shown in Fig. 5, itis possible to accurately maintain a uniform thickness of the web 16 for all shoe members intended to be applied to rails of a particular standard, and thereby avoid the waste and difficulty encountered due to variations in the thickness of this web, resulting from shrinkage or other causes, when the shoe is made of cast metal, This method of forming the metal blanks contemplates separate shearing operations for severing the blanks from the bar, and for cutting away the portion of the rib 14 to provide the recess 23. By forming the recess'23 of the shoe in the above manner, it is possible to accurately determine the position of therecess 23 which would be considered most suitable for a rail base flangeof any particular thickness, so that when the spring yoke member is applied to its operative position, it will exert the proper spring pressure on the rail to maintain it in its applied position.

In the embodiment illustrated, it will be noted that the depending web 17 of the shoe is positioned a. short distance inwardly from the outer surface of the web 16, though it will be obvious that, if desired, it may be varied to suit conditions, and if desired might be made flush with the outer surface of the web 16, so as to support the lower edge of the yoke at substantially the point of pivot between the yoke and said shoe, and thereby minimize any possibility of the yoke member being accidentally removed from the notches 25, 26 by the yoke'assuming different diagonal positions from that shown in Fig. 1.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 414,986, filed October 6, 1920.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor comprising two members which together embrace the base of a rail and have an interlocking engagement with each other, one of said members being provided with a jaw for engaging one edge of the rail and with a recess adapted to receive one end of the other member to effect said interlocking en agement and is formed from a rolled metal blank having a recess corresponding to said jaw.

2. A rail anchor comprising a rolled metal shoe member and a spring yoke member which together embrace the base of a rail, said shoe member being provided with a recess on its outer surface and with a tieabutting foot, and said yoke being adapted to be strained into locking engagement with the walls of said recess.

3. A rail anchor comprising a rolled metal shoe member and a spring yoke member adapted to interlock with each other, said shoe member being formed on one side with a recess corresponding to the configuration of one edge of the rail base, and provided on its outer surface with a recess forming an abutment for said spring yoke member, and said yoke member being formed atone end with a jaw adapted to fit over one edge of the rail base and at the other end with an enlargement adapted to be strained into interlocking engagement with said abutment. 4

l. The method of manufacturing rail anchors, consisting ofrolling a metal bar while hot to a desired cross-sectional configuration, severing said bar into suitable lengths, and forming a recess in the outer surface of each of said severed portions.

5. The method of manufacturing rail anchors, consisting of forming a metal bar on one side with a recess corresponding substantially to the configuration of one edge of a rail base, severing said bar into blanks of predetermined length, and providing each of said blanks on the side, opposite to that formed with the above mentioned recess, with a transversely extending recess, for the purpose described.

6. The method of manufacturing rail anchors, consisting of formingia metal bar 'on one side with a recess corresponding substantially to the configuration of one edge of a rail base, and with a rib onits opposite side extending the full length of said bar,

anchors, consisting of forming a metal bar on one side with a recess corresponding substantially to the configuration of one edge of a rail base, and on its opposite side with a rib extending the full length of said bar, severing said bar into blanks of predetermined lengths, providing each severed blank, on the side opposite to that formed with the above mentioned recess, with a transverse recess, for the purpose described, and bending the end of each of said blanks to provide a tie abutment. I

8. The: method of manufacturing rail anchors, consisting of rolling a metal bar while hot to-provide a rib on one surface which extends substantially'the full length of said bar, and to ,formtheother surface of the barwith a recess adapted to fit over one edge of the rail base to which the anchor is to be applied, severing saidbarinto suit- 7 able lengths, cutting away a portion of said ribon each of said severed blanks, and bending one end of said blanks to provide a tieabutting foot." 1 p 9. The method of manufacturing rail anchors, consisting of rolling a metal bar while hot to provide an outwardly projecting rib on one surface so as to extend-the fulllength of the bar, and to form theiother 1 surface of the bar with a recess adapted to fit over one edge of the rail base to which the anchor is tov be applied, severingsaid bar into suitable lengths, and forming a recess in said rib at a predetermined point on each of said blanks. 1 r

V HAROLD G. WARR. 

